Cowboys gearing up for proud foe

SAN ANTONIO – Washington is in the midst of a six-game skid, but Jason Witten knows the Redskins will go all out to knock their NFC East rivals out of the playoff chase.

“They’ve got a lot of proud players,” the Cowboys tight end told reporters in Irving. “(Linebacker Brian) Orakpo is playing as good as I’ve seen him play. They have good leadership. I know (linebacker London) Fletcher, Orakpo, (linebacker Ryan) Kerrigan, they’re going to rally the troops and play well.

“It’s always a fight in this league, especially against them. We anticipate anything or even more because their mentality is, ‘We’re out of it, but we’re going to build on this.’ We’ve got to be ready for a fight.”

Fletcher certainly will be flying high, considering this could be the 16th-year pro’s last game at FedEx Field. The four-time Pro Bowler told reporters Wednesday that he’s “99.9 percent” sure he’ll retire after this season.

Fletcher holds the NFL record for consecutive starts by a linebacker with 213. The four-time Pro Bowler has played in 254 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL.

I’m about 99 percent certain that this will be my last season in the National Football League,” Fletcher, 38, said. “I’ve got to leave at least one percent just in case I change my mind, but it’s really just about having another conversation with my wife. But I just thought with this being the final home game, this being Dallas Cowboy week, an opportunity to go out in a bang, get the fans riled up, say thank you to them and beat the Cowboys. What better way to end it?”

In 14 career games against Dallas, Fletcher has 120 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and nine passes defensed.